Angels Aren't Born
by HeyAssButtImBatman
Summary: Angels aren't born, they're made. Sam and Dean learn this the hard way when they're hit with a witch's spell that temporarily turns them into angels. But it isn't all fun times, as they soon find out. It's up to Castiel and Gabriel to keep the hunters safe while they get used to the temporary wings and powers, but that's easier said than done. They're the Winchesters, after all.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, my Lovelies! This story was a request by CastielAnAngelOfTheLord. The idea is theirs and I hope I did it justice and that you like it!**

Something was terribly wrong. All four of them could feel it, the magic and power rippling like oil over their skin, but they ignored it in order to focus more on the witch.

She was very old, extremely powerful. Almost as powerful as an angel. Castiel and Gabriel had easily subdued her, almost without any help from the hunters, but something was still off. Gabriel and Castiel could feel it, the waves of power she was sending off.

Castiel's eyes widened when he realized what she was doing.

"Gabriel, she's performing a spell," he said to his brother. Gabriel looked down at the witch, held immobile on the floor by his power. She smirked up at him and he narrowed his eyes. The witch had almost killed Sam and Dean, and much as he didn't like the older Winchester, he and Cas had swooped in just in time and saved them.

But something was still wrong. Some witches could cast spells using just the power of their mind. Gabriel had known a few such witches, knew how powerful and dangerous they could be. So he delved deep into her mind, searching for the intent behind her excessive use of power.

 _Sanctum domini mei domini, commoda mihi lavabis me et viribus. Inter ceteros eminebat terror in iis qui reformabit forma obstiterint habebis inimicum tuum. Dolor sit consumat illos devorabit eos immutent. Let pennae aerumnarum gravatae tolerant._

He heard the chant in her mind, being repeated over and over like a broken record. He felt her intent, saw her targets, but was too late to stop her. His eyes flew open and landed on the Winchesters. Castiel read his mind and he, too, added his power to Gabriel's, trying to stop the spell.

But the witch was more powerful than they thought, and she easily broke free and the Winchesters were hit. Their eyes widened and they staggered back a few feet, but otherwise appeared unharmed. Gabriel and Castiel knew better, though. They knew Latin, knew what the spell would do.

And they panicked. Castiel slammed his hand down on her head, killing her with his Grace. Gabriel rushed over to the hunters' side, where he was quickly joined by Castiel.

"What the hell was that?" Dean demanded. He and Sam were panting a little, eyes wide. Gabriel shared a look with Castiel and turned back to the hunters.

"You guys were hit with a spell," he said carefully.

"But she didn't even say anything or use any spell ingredients," Sam pointed out, as usual, seeing the logic behind the situation.

"Yes," Cas explained, "but she was much older than we had thought. Some powerful witches are able to perform spells without having to speak or use material objects."

"So what's the spell gonna do to us?" Dean asked angrily.

Neither of them spoke at first, but then Castiel looked him in the eye and said, "The spell will give you the wings and a few powers of an angel."

Sam and Dean blinked in surprise.

"That's...a good thing, right?" Sam asked hesitantly.

"No, it's not," Gabriel growled. "You won't be actual angels, you'll just have the characteristics of one. You'll have wings and a few powers each, but this is definitely not a good thing."

"Why?" Dean asked. "What's going to-" he cut off suddenly and squeezed his eyes shut. Sam was doing the same. They doubled over and groaned, then fell to their knees. A few, pain-filled yelps escaped them and they were breathing heavily.

"What's happening to them?" Castiel asked, panicking again. Gabriel could feel the emotion that he usually had so much control over rolling off of him in waves as he watched his lover and best friend in pain.

"The wings are coming out," Gabriel responded sadly. He could do nothing but watch as Sam and Dean started screaming and thrashing around, arching their backs to escape the pain. The angels noticed two large bumps protruding from between their shoulder blades, and they grew larger as they watched.

After what felt like an eternity of screaming and futilely consoling Sam and Dean, the sound of something ripping filled the air and with a last scream loud enough to shatter windows, wings burst forth from their backs in a shower of blood and feathers.

Castiel gasped and Gabriel closed his eyes. He had seen this before, and it wasn't pretty.

"Are they…?" Cas trailed off, looking at the limp forms of the hunters.

"They're alive," Gabriel said, walking over to Sam. "But we need to get them somewhere safe." Castiel nodded and crouched down next to Dean. He placed two fingers on his forehead and flew, following Gabriel to wherever he was going.

Not two seconds later they landed in a rather large house on the side of a mountain in the Himalayas. Castiel looked around in confusion.

"This is one of my places," Gabriel said, lifting Sam in his arms and heading towards a bathroom. "I come here sometimes when I need some alone time."

Castiel nodded and grabbed Dean before following his brother. Gabriel led them to a huge bathroom. It had two enormous tubs set into the floor, and it was in one of these that he set Sam. He cut off the hunter's shirt carefully and looked at the wings, watching out of the corner of his eye as Cas did the same for Dean.

Sam's back had stopped bleeding, but the skin was still red and raw. The wings hung limp from his back. Each one was about ten feet long, not as long as his own, but still huge. Underneath all of the blood coating the soft feathers, Gabriel could see that his wings were snow white, like most angels' wings.

A quick glance to his left revealed that Dean's wings were the same color. Cas looked up.

"What do we do?" he asked.

"Heal the wings like you would any other body part. Clean them off first, then heal the skin around them."

Castiel nodded and placed his hand on Dean's head. Gabriel did the same for Sam and a bright glow filled the bathroom. When the light died down, the hunters were blood free and seemed to be in less pain. Gabriel made sure that the wings were connected to their backs correctly before moving them to a large bedroom.

Gabriel snapped up another bed, knowing that the Winchesters would freak if they woke up without being able to see each other. The angels set the hunters down on their stomachs and watched with fascination as Sam and Dean instinctively folded the wings to their backs. The wings were long, even when folded, and came down to their thighs.

They looked peaceful, and Gabriel decided not to wake them. Who knows how much sleep they had been getting lately, and a few extra hours wouldn't hurt. He and Cas stood in the corner of the room, watching over the hunters. They were both worried at how the hunters would react, and about what powers they would have when they woke.

But there was nothing they could do now except wait.


	2. Chapter 2

Dean was the first to wake up, almost twelve hours since the witch hunt. He let out a huge groan as his eyes fluttered open. Cas moved forward eagerly, Gabriel not far behind.

"Cas?" he mumbled sleepily. "Sam?"

"He's fine, Dean," Cas reassured. "He's here."

Dean rolled onto his side and gazed at Sam. Then he blinked, and his eyes focused and got wide. He jolted upright and stared at Sam's wings.

"Why does Sam have wings?" he practically yelled. He looked over his shoulder at his own wings. "Why do _I_ have wings?"

"Dean, calm down," Cas said. Sam stirred on the other bed and Gabriel flew to his side. The hunters eyes opened and he gazed at first Dean's wings, then his own, and finally up at Gabriel.

"How long does the spell last?" he asked, not at all confused like Dean had been.

"I don't know," Gabriel answered. "But I know the spell to reverse it. It shouldn't take me long to get the ingredients."

He got up off the bed after giving Sam a quick kiss and was about to fly away when Dean jumped off his bed, unbalanced and swaying dangerously. Cas held him up and the hunter gazed furiously at Gabriel.

"Wait! You can't just leave! You have to explain this stuff to us! How do we control our wings? Can we fly? What powers do we have? Do we still have to eat? How-"

"Okay, enough!" Gabriel shouted. Dean instantly quieted and Sam flinched on the bed. Gabriel sat down next to Sam and motioned for Dean and Cas to sit on the other one, which they did. "So, what do you want to know?"

"What's the deal with the wings?" Dean asked. Gabriel sighed and ran a hand through his hair. If he could just go out and get the stuff he'd need for the spell, Dean wouldn't even need to ask questions because he wouldn't have wings anymore. Still, he scraped together all of his patience and answered the question.

"The wings are exactly like an actual angels'," he explained. "Except you can't make yours invisible, and you can't fly. You can control them just like you would any other body part."

As he said this, Sam and Dean both experimentally spread out their wings as far as they could go in the large room. Sam even gave his a few flaps. A smile graced his lips and Gabriel felt his heart soar. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing to leave them with the wings for a few days.

"Do we have Grace?" Sam asked. Gabriel shook his head.

"No, but you do have a few powers. Empathy, telepathy and telekinesis, if I'm not mistaken."

"What?" Dean asked.

"You can read minds, feel emotions and move things without touching them."

"That's frickin' awesome!"

Sam nodded his agreement.

"Do we need to eat and sleep still?"

"Unfortunately, yes. You aren't full angels, you just have a few powers of one."

"That sucks," Sam said. Gabriel patted his leg sympathetically.

"Any more questions?"

"Does this mean that we can see your wings now?" Sam asked. Gabriel and Cas looked surprised at the question. Why would Sam want to see his wings?

"Why?" Gabe asked.

"Why not? I've always wondered what they looked like."

Dean nodded and looked at Cas. The angels looked at each other, confusion laced on their features. Yes, wings were the most sacred part of an angel, but all angels, save for the archangels, had wings exactly alike. And all of the angels in Heaven had gotten used to the archangels' wings, so it had been thousands of years since anyone had displayed an interest in anyone's wings.

"Um, okay, I guess. I don't know if you'll be able to see them, though, so don't get your hopes up," Gabriel said. He unfolded his wings and watched as Cas did the same. They changed the plane of existence they were on to one where half-angels would be able to see them, but humans wouldn't.

Gabriel and Castiel had fully expected Sam and Dean to not be able to see anything, so they were not prepared when the hunters let out small gasps. Gabriel looked at Sam and found him staring at his wings with wide eyes.

Gabriel had to admit, his wings were glorious. Out of all of the archangels, his wings were the most beautiful and grand, no doubt thanks to God wanting his Messenger to reflect the glory of the word of God. At least, that's what Gabe assumed.

Six golden wings were spread lazily around the room, all sprouting from Gabe's back. They shone with Grace and were almost fourteen feet each in length. They were magnificent. Sam ran his fingers through the soft plumage and gently pulled out a loose feather.

It was extremely soft and strangely metallic at the same time, something Sam would have thought to be impossible. As he watched, the feather began smoking and he quickly dropped it onto the floor, where it dropped and left the imprint of a feather burned into the wood floor.

Sam looked down at Gabriel and smiled.

"Your wings are amazing," he said.

"Thanks, kiddo."

Across the room, Dean was staring in awe at Cas' wings. He had two, like most angels, but his were pitch black. They shone and rippled under the light as they moved, and Dean was entranced.

He reached out a hand and ran it over the feathers. They were every bit as big as Dean had thought they would be, if not bigger. Each one was ten feet long, the same size as his and Sam's.

"Cas?" Gabriel said from across the room, drawing in his wings loosely to his back. Dean did the same with his own wings and found it to be a really comfortable resting position for his new limbs. "Why are your wings black?"

Gabriel sounded off, concerned and a little scared. It was odd. Cas looked down, as if embarrassed.

"When I pulled Dean from Hell all those years ago," he mumbled, "my wings were covered in a strange ash that won't come off."

"I got to admit, Cassie, those are some pretty badass wings you've got. They match your hair." Castiel looked up and Gabe winked at him, earning a small smile from his little brother. "Right, now that questions have been answered and wings have been viewed, I'm going to go get the stuff for the spell."

He gave them a little wave and flew off. Sam and Dean were shocked when they actually saw the wings flap before he disappeared. They looked at each other, then at Cas. They shrugged at each other and headed out of the room.

The house they were in was huge, bigger than any mansion they had ever seen. It didn't take them long to get lost, and Cas was no help, just following them around and not offering to lead them.

"Damn Gabriel and his frickin' huge house!" Dean shouted when they found themselves at yet another living room. Sam felt something hot slam into him and he gasped, stepping back instinctively. Weirdly enough, he automatically knew what it was.

"Dean, please calm down," he said in a strangled voice. "Anger hurts."

"What?" Dean asked, not understanding.

"Empathy, remember? I can feel your emotions and anger hurts."

"Shit, sorry Sammy." Dean took several deep breaths and forced himself to calm down. Sam released the breath he had been holding and turned to Cas.

"Cas, can you take us to the kitchen? We've been trying to find it for like, twenty minutes and you haven't really been helping."

Cas started as though he had been lost in thought. "Apologies, Sam," he said, and flew them all to Gabriel's huge kitchen. Sam and Dean wasted no time in raiding the fridge. They weren't surprised that there wasn't one healthy food item anywhere, but Dean didn't care as Gabe had a huge stock of pie.

They ate until they could barely move, though Sam was careful to eat the more healthy things Gabe stocked up on specifically for him. Sam leaned forward so that his elbows were resting on the table and his head in his hands.

"What do you want to do?" he asked Dean. The two of them were sitting in the dining room, evidence of their feast still scattered across the table. Castiel had gone somewhere else in the house, saying something about Gabriel asking him to feed his dog. Sam had never seen the dog, but with a house that big, it wasn't that surprising.

"I dunno," Dean answered. "Maybe we could-" he cut off at the sound of a huge crash somewhere close by. The two of them instantly shot up and reached for their pistols, hunter instincts kicking in.

 _Hurt blood pain pain wound knife hurt pain blood wound stabbed need help help help_

The strange, fragmented sentence appeared in both of their heads and they paused outside of a door, where they could hear something moving around.

"Did you hear that?" Dean asked. Sam nodded. "Who was that?"

"I think it was Gabriel," Sam answered. "I think we were reading his thoughts."

It took a moment for Sam's words to fully sink in, but when they did, four eyes went wide and two mouths shouted "Shit!"


	3. Chapter 3

Sam kicked in the door, not bothering to even check if it was locked. He ran into the room and lifted his gun, Dean not far behind. When nothing jumped out and attacked them, they put away their guns and moved to where Gabriel was.

The archangel was lying on the floor, a huge puddle of blood surrounding him. His eyes were open and unfocused, and Grace leaked from the wound in his stomach. Sam's eyes went wide and he dropped to his knees beside his angel.

"Gabe?" he called softly. "Gabriel, can you hear me?" Gabriel didn't respond, and Dean could feel Sam's panic seeping off of him in one continuous stream. It made his skin prickle uncomfortably, but he ignored it.

He left Sam to try to stop the bleeding, and ran back to the room where they had first woken up in. It was surprisingly easy to find, and he wasted no time in ripping open his bag and grabbing the army surgeon's kit their dad left them. As he ran back to the large bedroom Gabriel was in, he sent out a quick prayer to Castiel.

 _Cas! Gabriel's hurt, he was attacked with an angel blade! We need help, now!_

He skidded around a corner and flew into the room, not surprised to see Castiel already there. Sam's hands were covered in Gabriel's blood. He had taken off his shirt and was using it to try and stop the bleeding. From the thoughts Dean could pick up off of Sam, it wasn't working.

"Cas, what do we do?" Sam asked, voice laced with concern. Cas ignored him, and instead knelt by his brother. The archangel's eyes were closed and his breaths were quick and shallow. Cas laid his hand on the wound and a bright glow flashed throughout the room.

When he pulled away, the bleeding had stopped and there wasn't a trace of the liquid anywhere.

"I cannot heal him fully," Cas said. "This is something he must heal on his own."

"Will he be okay?" Sam asked, taking out the needle and thread from the kit. He started to sew the wound closed and Dean could see a few unshed tears in his eyes, which he blinked away.

"He will be fine," Cas told him, leaning heavily on Dean. "But this is very bad."

"Why?" Dean asked. He could tell that his boyfriend was worried, but he couldn't feel his emotions for some reason.

"He is the only one of us who knows how to do the spell to turn you back to normal. Without him, we'll just have to wait for the spell to wear off on its own, or until he wakes up."

"That's not so bad," Sam said, snipping off the end of the thread and throwing away the needle.

"That isn't the troubling part," Cas said gravely. His blue eyes looked darker and Dean could see anger-no, fury- battling the concern for his brother in them. "Angel blades can't harm an archangel. Only an archangel blade can. Raphael is dead and Michael and Lucifer are in the Pit, which means whoever attacked Gabriel has his sword and the power to kill anything on the planet."

It was silent as the implications of Cas' words set in. Sam and Dean's wings expanded in their agitation, and the feathers were ruffled out so that the wings looked twice their regular size. Sam gently lifted Gabriel and placed him on the bed, then looked at Dean with wide eyes.

This was bad.

...oO()Oo…

For three days they waited. It was tough, especially on Sam. Cas assured them that it was normal, that his vessel had to replenish all of the blood he had lost and heal his Grace, but that didn't stop Sam from worrying.

To distract them, Cas used those three days to teach them how to control their temporary powers. It was hard work, but both WInchesters were grateful.

Currently, they were in the room they had dubbed as theirs, searching for any signs of whoever had taken Gabriel's sword. They didn't find anything, though. It was like whoever it was had just grabbed the sword for the sake of having it.

"This is pointless," Sam growled, slamming his laptop shut. Dean winced as a wave of anger slammed into him. Thanks to Cas' training, the two of them could muffle the effects of emotions, but because they didn't have any Grace, they couldn't fully control what they felt.

The same goes for the telepathy. They could cancel out the everyday thoughts, and now would only hear thoughts if someone was projecting them. Telekinesis was by far the easiest to control out of all of their powers. All they had to do was focus on an object, snap their fingers to release their concentrated power, and watch as the TV remote zoomed right into their hand.

"We're never going to find anything like this," Sam continued. Dean put down his newspaper and turned around in his seat. He could feel worry, anger and a sense of hopelessness rolling off of him. The combination of emotions made his head pound, but he focused his power and formed a sort of shield between him and Sam.

The onslaught of emotions slowed so that he could just barely distinguish them. Much better.

"We'll find him, Sammy," Dean said, trying to calm his brother. "Gabriel will wake up soon, then he can tell us who attacked him and we can go get his sword back."

Sam's droopy wings lifted and he flashed Dean a grateful smile. He leaned back on the bed and stretched his wings, flapping them a few times. Dean was incredibly impressed with the amount of progress the two of them had made with controlling their new powers and their wings.

He sat next to his brother and wrapped one large wing around him, something Cas had said was comforting to angels. Sam smiled at him again and opened his mouth to say something, but at that moment, Cas flew into the room.

He flapped his wings once, dislodging a loose feather and put his hands into the pockets of his trenchcoat. Ever since that first day when they had discovered that the Winchesters could see the angels' wings, Cas and Gabriel had kept theirs visible, though Gabriel was unconscious and couldn't control that right now.

"Hey, Cas," Sam greeted. "What's up?"

"Gabriel is awake," Cas said in his usual monotone, but Dean could feel a small trickle of relief leaking through Cas' carefully crafted emotional armor.

"Really?" Sam asked, shooting to his feet. His wings flared out a little and his eyes brightened.

"Yes." Cas slapped a hand down on each of their shoulders and flew them to Gabriel's room, knowing that they would be impatient with walking. For once, Dean didn't complain. He was as excited about Gabriel waking up as Sam was, even if he didn't show it.

The three of them landed at the foot of Gabriel's bed. The archangel was sitting against the headboard, eyes closed and six wings folded tightly against his back. Sam ran forward and threw himself into the archangel's arms. His eyes flew open and a grin split his face.

"Heya, Sammy," he said, smirking. "Miss me?"

"Of course, you idiot," Sam said back, but he was beaming when he said it.

Sam sat on the bed next to him and Gabriel threw his arm around Sam's shoulders. He gave Dean a little smile, which the hunter returned.

"So I hear you guys have been practicing with your powers," he said. Dean snapped his fingers and threw a pillow at his head by way of answer. Sam laughed at his disgruntled expression, but he quickly turned sober.

"Gabe, who attacked you?" he asked, referring to the elephant in the room. Gabe bit his lip and looked down in a rare display of uncomfortableness.

"Witches," he mumbled eventually.

"Witches did this to you?" Dean asked incredulously. Gabriel nodded. Dean could feel the disbelief radiating off of Sam and knew he must be projecting the same emotion.

"Gabriel may be the most powerful creature in the universe right now," Cas said, "but any number of supernatural creatures could kill him if he were caught unaware and outnumbered, which is what I assume happened."

"Yup," Gabriel said, popping the 'P'. "Twelve witches got the drop on me in India. They were just as old and powerful as the one we killed. It turns out that she had a coven and they aren't happy with us for killing her."

"So what do we do we do now?" Sam asked.

"First we get back my blade," Gabriel said determinedly. "I can't stand not having it with me. It's like having all of my power stripped." He shuddered a little, though Dean could tell he was trying to hide it. Sam wrapped his wing around him and Gabriel gratefully sank back into the soft feathers.

"Alright," Dean said, standing up and stretching his wings. "Where are those witch-bitches?"

"As far as I know, they're still in India, on the other side of these mountains. They know about the spell and they were trying to stop me from getting the ingredients we need to turn you guys back to normal."

"I will check," Cas said simply, and with the sound of rustling, he was gone. Dean sat at the end of the bed and closed his eyes. He focused on forming a mental shield between him and any thoughts Gabriel and Sam were sending to each other. He didn't need to be any more mentally scarred than he already was, thank you very much.

Cas returned a few minutes later, looking a little haggard, but unhurt.

"Are they there?" Gabriel asked, standing up and walking up to his brother.

"Yes," Cas said. "They have a stronghold on the India side of the Himalayas. But there are more than just twelve witches. I don't know for sure how many they have, but I could sense your blade, Gabriel."

"Wait, you could sense the blade?" Sam asked.

"Yes. Archangel blades are tied to their Grace. Only an archangel's own blade can harm an archangel."

"That's why when Lucifer tried to kill me at the Elysian Fields Hotel, he used my own blade instead of his."

"That's why you need it back so bad," Dean realized. "It's the only thing in the universe capable of killing you." Gabriel nodded and Dean felt the familiar stirrings of panic coming from his brother. He could sympathize this time.

The only weapon in the universe capable of killing the last archangel is in the hands of a coven of incredibly powerful witches who managed to get the drop on the most powerful creature in the universe.

"We are so fucked."


	4. Chapter 4

They needed a plan. This was no ordinary witch hunt, that much was certain. They needed to be smart, strong and prepared, but that was kind of hard when the only thing opposing twelve plus witches was an angel slowly Falling, two hunters with new angel powers and an archangel who was still recovering from a severe wound.

It had been two days since Gabriel had woken up, almost a week since the spell had first been cast over the Winchesters. The worst thing that had happened to them so far was the unbearable pain of the wings coming out of their backs, but Gabriel was almost convinced that something worse would happen.

He wouldn't tell them what it was when they asked, but he assured them that it would be bad. So they were focusing on how to kill the witches, get back the blade and reversing the spell. Gabriel had set up a strict training regime, not for their physical prowess, but for their powers.

He was unusually serious, and to be honest, it scared both hunters. They had only ever seen him like this once, when they had been threatened by a coven of vampires and Sam had almost died. Needless to say, it didn't end up well for the vampires.

"Focus!" Gabriel called. "You both have incredible mental strength, but you need to concentrate if you want to be able to use your powers."

Sam, Dean and Gabriel were in some sort of training room that Gabriel had created. Castiel was in the corner working on figuring out how many witches they were dealing with and occasionally offering advice.

"I'm trying," Dean growled out. Sweat beaded off of his forehead and dripped down his face. He glared at Gabriel, willing that tiny, smug little body to fly back and hit the wall. Gabriel glared right back at Dean, gaze never wavering.

With one last mental push, he sent everything he had at the archangel. He felt something give way and his eyes widened when he saw Gabriel step back as though pushed. The angel looked shocked for a moment, but that look quickly morphed into a grin.

"Excellent! You've made definite progress, Dean-o."

Dean gave a small smile at the note of pride in Gabriel's voice. He bent over to catch his breath and rested his hands on his knees. He could see Sam moving in the corner of his periphery and hear a muffled sort of noise that sounded sort of like talking, but he couldn't make anything out.

He felt a pressure on his chest and breathing became increasingly difficult. He gasped and tried to stand up, but a searing pain in his stomach made him fall to his knees. He squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to focus through the pain, but he couldn't focus on anything other than the searing agony ripping through him.

There was muffled shouting and something grabbed onto his shoulder, but it was a while until the pain subsided and he could breathe again. He collapsed onto the floor, gasping like he had just run a marathon.

"Dean?" he heard. Dean opened his eyes and groaned as he pushed himself to his knees.

"What the hell was that?" he demanded. The mental block that Gabriel had taught them how to do, the shield that prevented others from feeling his emotions, came crashing down and he could feel the confusion and panic radiating off of him.

"I have no idea," Sam answered his question. Cas was in some sort of meditative trance and didn't realize what had happened, and Gabriel was looting around in his pockets for something, looking like he would rather be anywhere other than there.

"Gabriel…" Dean's voice was a warning, much like a parent would use for a misbehaving child. The Trickster sighed and looked up. He squirmed under Dean's glare for a while before relenting.

"Okay!" he shouted. "Alright, I admit it. I lied to you guys."

"What?" Sam sounded hurt, though his mental block stayed in place and Dean couldn't feel his emotions.

"Remember that day I got stabbed, when you asked me if you guys had Grace or not?" They nodded. "I may or may not have lied about that. See, the spell didn't just give you angel powers, they gave you each a tiny piece of Grace, Cas' Grace actually. And because you guys aren't his true vessel, the Grace is destroying you from the inside out, like what happened to Lucifer's vessel."

Both hunters shuddered, remembering the burns lacing the face of the Fallen angel's face and how the vessel would have exploded had Sam not said yes.

"So that's why you were so eager to reverse the spell," Sam said. Gabriel nodded.

"If we don't do this thing soon, you guys'll die."

Sam's wall fell, just like Dean's had, and both of their combined panic slammed into Gabe, though the archangel didn't even flinch.

"Eighteen," a voice said, startling the hunters. They turned around and saw Cas straightening up.

"What?" Sam asked, not really paying attention.

"There are eighteen witches in the stronghold, all of them at least three hundred years old."

Gabriel groaned.

"Great," he said, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Perfect. Okay, new plan. You guys are going to stay here. I'm going to go deal with the witches."

"What?" Sam yelled, voice laced with disbelief. "No! Gabe, you were almost killed by twelve witches, there's no way you can take on eighteen by yourself."

"Calm down, Sammy," he said, eyes softening. "I'm not going to use my vessel, I'm going as my true self."

"Wait, you can do that?"

Gabriel snorted. "I can do anything. Archangel, remember? Okay, Cassie, you remember what to do?"

Cas nodded and came to stand between Dean and Sam. He touched their backs and flew them to a bedroom, this one much bigger and more extravagant than the others. There was a huge bed with silk sheets that looked like it had never been used, a large bathroom connected to the main room and a walk-in closet filled with candy.

"Is this your room?" Sam asked. He sat down on a couch in front of a huge TV and looked at Gabriel. The archangel nodded, serious again.

"Okay, this is going to be a very dramatic process," he said. "There's going to be lights, loud noise and a dead body, but I need you and Dean-o to keep your cool."

"What?" Dean's eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened.

"Yup. Now stand back and cover yourselves with your wings, they'll protect you from my hot angelic self." He winked at Sam, who rolled his eyes. Gabriel stuck his tongue out in response and threw himself onto the bed. He wiggled around until he was comfortable, then looked at Cars, who turned to the Winchesters.

"Dean, Sam," the taller angel said. "Cover yourselves, now."

The hunters shot each other confused looks, but complied. Snowy white wings unfolded and wrapped themselves around the hunters, encasing them in warmth and quiet. the next thing they knew, there was a huge flash of light and a high-pitched ringing sound that they both realized was the true voice of an angel.

In the cocoon of their wings, neither hunter felt the pain that usually accompanied the noise or light. When it died down, they retracted their wings and looked around. Cas was in the exact same place as before, though he had his angel blade out and was staring at Gabriel like he was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Speaking of, the archangel was still lying on the bed, eyes closed. He was curled up on his side and his head rested on one of the many pillows on the bed. His face looked peaceful and more innocent without his usual smirk and bright eyes.

"What happened to him?" Sam asked, frowning as he sat next to the angel. His eyes got a little wide and he stared at Gabriel. One of his hands found its way into the angel's hair and began running through it. "Why isn't he breathing?"

"Relax, Sam," Cas said. "Gabriel is fine. He left his vessel in order to get rid of the witches. This is merely the body he inhabits."

Sam's hand flew off of Gabriel like he had been burned. "I've been stroking a dead guy?"

"Yes," Cas said simply. Dean chuckled at the expression on his brother's face and stood next to Cas.

"Hey, Cas," he said. Cas gave him a small smile in return, but didn't say anything. "What are you doing?"

"I am guarding Gabriel's vessel until he returns."

"Why? He's perfectly safe here."

"Yes, but that isn't the point. It's sort of an unspoken code between angels. Each angel only has one true vessel, and if anything happens to that vessel, the angel would spend the rest of eternity jumping from body to body. It's a great honor to be trusted enough to guard a vessel."

Dean nodded, understanding exactly what Cas meant. He sat down with his back against the bed, knees drawn up to his chest. He must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew, Sam was shaking him awake and telling him to get back.

He jumped up instantly, hunter instincts kicking in, and backed up from the bed. He watched in awe as a bright light shone on the prone figure on the bed, and the figures eyes shot open as light began pouring from them and his mouth.

As soon as it had started, it stopped, leaving Gabriel slumped over on the bed. He groaned and opened his eyes, looking around warily. He smirked when he saw Sam and held up his archangel blade.

Dean let out a breath and leaned back against the wall. He closed his eyes and listened as Sam fussed over Gabriel, who apparently had gotten hurt again in his fight with the witches. He felt soft lips press themselves to his temple and he smiled, knowing it was Castiel.

Without looking, he gently grabbed the angel's face and crashed their lips together. He couldn't help the relief that spilled from him when he heard Gabriel slip his sword into his jacket. Without the blade, Gabriel was in constant danger, and without Gabriel, Sam and Dean would die a terrible death.

So he was glad that the archangel had his blade back, he thought as he kissed Cas passionately. Because if he died, he definitely would miss this.


	5. Chapter 5

Gabriel wasted no time in flying off and retrieving the ingredients for the spell. In the hour or so after his fight with the witches, Sam had had an "episode" or whatever the hell it was that caused them to stop breathing, and Dean had somehow gotten large burn marks up the side of his neck and face.

Gabriel and Cas had been livid when they found out, insisting that they go out and start the spell immediately. Sam had protested, saying that Gabriel still wasn't fully recovered, but he had given in in the end. Gabriel could do some pretty damn good puppy dog eyes, and even Sam, master of making your heart melt, hadn't been able to resist them.

"Alright, guys," Gabriel said, flying into the training room with a few grocery bags in his arms. "I've got the stuff, so let's get this spell done."

The other three gathered around and watched as he drew a strange symbol on the ground with Holy Oil, then proceeded to light it. The flames jumped up and spread through the oil, forming a circle with strange symbols in it.

In a large stone bowl, Gabe mixed a jar of blood, a strange smelling herb and a very large amount of ash.

"What are the ingredients you're using?" Sam asked, intrigued.

"Virgin's blood, Woodbine and the ashes of the witch who cast the spell." He reached out a hand without looking, and Cas placed his arm into it. Gabriel drew a knife swiftly across Cas' wrist, letting a few drops of blood fall into the bowl. "And blood from the angel whose Grace resides in you."

He chanted something in Latin over the bowl, before pulling out one hair each from Sam and Dean and adding them to the bowl. He once more said the chant, then dumped the whole thing out in the middle of the circle.

He unfolded two of his wings and used them to push Sam, Dean and Castiel back, then closed his eyes and said the chant a third time. The flames roared upwards, too close to the archangel for Sam's liking, but Gabe didn't even flinch.

He opened his eyes and moaned in what sounded like pain. He started shaking a little but refused to back down. He said the chant again and again until the flames had licked the ceiling, then waved his hand and extinguished them.

"There," he said breathlessly, clutching his abdomen. "That should do it."

"Are you okay? What the hell was that?" Sam demanded, grabbing Gabriel around the waist to keep him from toppling over.

"'m fine, Samsquatch," Gabriel slurred, though his closed eyes and sweaty forehead said otherwise. He hung limp in Sam's arms and the hunter lifted him up to keep him from falling.

"What happened to him?" Dean asked, turning to Castiel. The younger angel placed a hand on Gabe's chest and closed his eyes. A slight glow radiated from Cas' hand and spiraled down into Gabriel.

"It appears that he was more wounded than he let on," Cas said when he had stepped away. Sam started towards Gabe's room, Dean and Cas following. "In its true form, an angel is pure Grace. When he fought the witches, they probably managed to injure him with his blade before he could kill them. His soul just needs some time to recuperate, he'll be fine."

They reached the door and Sam pushed it open with his telekinesis, surprised that he still had those abilities. He set the archangel down on the bed and sat down next to him. A shrill bark reached his ears and he turned to the door to see a small black and white dog running through the door.

"Hershey!" Sam exclaimed in delight. The dog barked again in response and jumped up onto the bed with a little help from Sam. Hershey sniffed Gabriel head to toe before curling up into his side and putting his head on his paws.

"Wait, he actually has a dog?" Dean asked in surprise. He had never seen the thing, though he had heard Cas mention something about a dog the other day.

"Yup. Dean, this is Hershey." Dean snorted at the name. Only Gabriel would name a black and white dog after a chocolate brand.

Dean flapped his wing to get rid of an itch, then froze. His wings were still there. Why were the wings still there?

"Cas, why do we still have wings?" he asked, on the verge of a small freak-out.

"The reversal spell will take a little bit of time to go into effect, but it should be soon. Would you like me to knock you out? The experience will be just as painful as the first time."

Sam and Dean glanced at each other, conversing silently in that way that no one seemed to be able to mimic, before shaking their heads. They wanted to be awake, regardless of how much it hurt.

They sat in relative silence, waiting for the spell to take effect. If Sam had counted correctly, it was exactly four thousand, five hundred and eighty-three seconds later when the first spike of pain shot up his spine.

He gasped sharply, twisting his head to watch in morbid fascination as his wings withered off. He could see the same thing happening to Dean, feathers falling off and wings shrinking and shrivelling up, but then the pain took over and he couldn't see anything anymore.

...oO()Oo…

Cas watched with sadness as the two hunters flailed around and screamed in pain. He knew how bad it must have hurt, having their wings die and the small bit of Grace in them being torn out.

It seemed to go on forever, though when it finally stopped, Cas was extremely thankful that there was no blood this time. The dog, Hershey, was cowering on the bed in between Sam and Gabriel, whimpering slightly. Cas knocked the dog out with his powers before moving to take care of the hunters.

He moved them both onto the bed and tore off their shirts, revealing backs red with irritation and two scars where the wings had been connected. He healed the skin, then brought them out of unconsciousness and into sleep. If they were going to be out for a few hours, they might as well be resting.

He left Sam on the bed and moved Dean to the room Gabriel had given him. It was sparse and undecorated as Cas had never set foot in the room since he had been given it, but there was a bed and Cas gratefully dumped Dean onto it. He took up his usual position in the corner and waited, senses pricked to detect the first signs of life from any of his family.

...oO()Oo…

Gabriel woke up quietly, holding in a groan. He couldn't remember where he was or what had happened to knock out an archangel, but whatever it was, he didn't want it to know he was awake.

He kept his breathing rate the same and his face slack, taking stock of his surroundings with his other senses. He frowned when he heard breathing next to him. From the sound of it, whoever it was was asleep.

He poked at it with his Grace, trying to figure out who it was, and revealed a very familiar and bright soul. Sam. In a rush, everything came back to him, and he let his eyes snap open. He was in his bed, Hershey and Sam next to him.

Careful not to disturb neither the dog or the human, he turned onto his side and studied Sam. The hunter's wings were gone and so was the piece of Grace that had been residing next to his soul. Gabriel sighed in relief and flew to where Cas was.

He wasn't surprised to find his brother watching Dean like a hawk, blue eyes never wavering from the hunter's sleeping form.

"Hey, Cassie," he greeted, shoving his hands in his pockets and leaning next to his brother.

"Gabriel," the angel acknowledged. ""I'm glad you're feeling better, though I am incredibly mad at you. You shouldn't have done the ritual in such a condition."

"Hey, if I remember correctly, you were as eager as me to get these muttonheads back to normal."

"Yes, but I didn't know you were hurt. You could have died, Gabriel."

"Please, I'm a lot tougher than I look."

"That isn't the point. You're my brother and Sam's boyfriend, and you can't go around doing these dangerous things that could end up with you getting yourself killed. It's irresponsible and selfish. What would have happened to Sam if you had died doing the spell?"

Gabriel looked away guiltily, knowing how Sam and Dean both loved to beat themselves up over stuff that wasn't their fault. Cas correctly interpreted his silence and nudged Gabe's Grace with his own, letting his brother know he was forgiven.

Gabriel grinned at his brother and flew back to his room. Hershey was up and extremely happy to see him, tiny tail wagging furiously. Gabriel laughed and tried to fend off the dog's onslaught of licks and happy yips. He settled down in Gabriel's lap, falling asleep once more.

Gabriel sighed and leaned his head back, running his hands through Sam's long hair. His eyes closed, and though he didn't need to sleep, he forced himself to drift off so he wouldn't get bored waiting for Sam to wake up.

 _I wonder what crazy-ass shit'll happen to those muttonheads tomorrow,_ he thought as he drifted off, a small smile on his face.

 **Finished! I hope you like it CastielAnAngelOfTheLord. I'm in the mood for totally random one-shots for a bunch of unrelated fandoms, but I have another multi-chapter story coming that I'm pretty excited about so don't worry; I will still be writing:)**

 **Cookies for CastielAnAngelOfTheLord for the idea (: :) (: :) (: :) and PM me if you guys have an idea for a story you want me to write. I write for most fandoms, but if you aren't sure, just ask me :D.**

 **Peace out, peoples!**


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